Birmingham Snow Hill railway station

See also: Snow Hill Lines

The station is managed by West Midlands Trains and services are provided by West Midlands Trains and Chiltern Railways. There is a small set of sidings at the Hockley end of the station, which can be reached from Platform 1 only. All platforms can be used in either direction; generally platforms 1 or 2 are used for trains heading north, platform 2 is used for trains terminating at the station and platform 3 is used for trains going south.

Occasional steam-hauled special trains use the station.

Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
General information
Location	Colmore Row, Birmingham England
Coordinates	52°28′59″N1°53′56″W / 52.483°N 1.899°W / 52.483; -1.899
Grid reference	SP069873
Managed by	West Midlands Trains
Transit authority	Transport for West Midlands
Platforms	3
Other information
Station code	BSW
Fare zone	1
Classification	DfT category C1
History
Original company	Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway
Key dates
1 October 1852	Opened as Birmingham
February 1858	Renamed Birmingham Snow Hill
1871	Rebuilt
1906–1912	Rebuilt
6 March 1972	Closed
5 October 1987	Rebuilt and reopened
31 May 1999	Midland Metro stop opened
24 October 2015	Midland Metro stop closed
Passengers
2018/19	5.367 million

v t e Snow Hill Lines
Chiltern Main Line to London Marylebone Honeybourne Line Leamington Spa Stratford-upon-Avon to Coventry Stratford Parkway Warwick Wilmcote Warwick Parkway Bearley Junction Hatton Bearley Claverdon to Alcester Hatton Junction Wootton Wawen Henley Goods Henley-in-Arden Rowington Junction Lapworth Danzey Wood End Dorridge The Lakes Earlswood Widney Manor Wythall Whitlocks End Solihull Shirley Yardley Wood Olton Hall Green Spring Road Acocks Green Tyseley Junction Tyseley Small Heath Camp Hill line Bordesley Rugby–Birmingham– Stafford Line to Birmingham New Street Birmingham Moor Street Snow Hill Tunnel Bull Street West Midlands Metro to Edgbaston Village Birmingham Snow Hill St Chads St Paul's Hockley Tunnels Jewellery Quarter Hockley Soho Benson Road Soho & Winson Green Chase Line Winson Green Outer Circle Handsworth Booth Street Handsworth & Smethwick The Hawthorns West Midlands Metro to Wolverhampton to Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street Smethwick Galton Bridge Rugby–Birmingham– Stafford Line Smethwick West Rood End to Oldbury Langley Green Rowley Regis Old Hill Tunnel Old Hill Halesowen Railway Bumble Hole line Cradley Heath Lye Sth Staffordshire line Stourbridge Town Stourbridge Junction Hagley Blakedown Kidderminster Town Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway to Bewdley Hartlebury to Bromsgrove Droitwich Spa Fernhill Heath Blackpole Halt Astwood Halt Worcester Foregate Street Worcester Shrub Hill to Hereford Cross Country Route and Cotswold Line

Chiltern Railways

Snow Hill is served by Chiltern Railway services to and from London Marylebone. Some Chiltern services continue beyond Birmingham to Stourbridge Junction.

The typical Chiltern service pattern is as follows: ^[30]

• 1 tp2h off-peak/ 1 train per hour (tph) in peak periods to London Marylebone via Solihull, Dorridge, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Banbury and High Wycombe.

West Midlands Railway

Local services from Snow Hill, like most local services in the West Midlands, are supported by Transport for West Midlands. They are operated by West Midlands Trains using the West Midlands Railway brand.

There are four West Midlands Railway trains per hour (tph) serving Snow Hill in each direction, running as follows: ^{[31] [32] [33]}

Eastbound:

• 2 trains per hour to Whitlocks End via Shirley
  • of which one continues to Stratford-upon-Avon via the North Warwickshire Line.
• 2 trains per hour to Dorridge via Solihull
  • of which one continues to Stratford-upon-Avon via Lapworth
  • Two evening weekday West Midlands Railway services continue to Leamington Spa.

Westbound:

• 4 trains per hour to Kidderminster via Smethwick Galton Bridge and Stourbridge Junction:
  • of which two continue to Worcester Foregate Street via Droitwich Spa
  • Some services reverse or terminate at Worcester Shrub Hill.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Jewellery Quarter		West Midlands Railway Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line Snow Hill lines		Birmingham Moor Street
Terminus		Chiltern Railways London-Birmingham-Stourbridge		Birmingham Moor Street
Jewellery Quarter
	Heritage railways
Terminus		Vintage Trains The Shakespeare Express July–September		Birmingham Moor Street
	Historical railways
Hockley		Great Western Railway Various Routes (1854–1972)		Bordesley
St Paul's		West Midlands Metro (1999-2015)		Terminus

Tram stops

Former Snow Hill terminus stop (1999-2015)

Former terminus

From 1999 until 2015, Snow Hill was the terminus of the Midland Metro Line 1 from Wolverhampton. Opening on 31 May 1999, it occupied the space previously used by platform 4 of the main line station. The stop had two platforms, and was approached by a short section of single track. ^[34]

The Snow Hill terminus was officially closed on 24 October 2015, and the approach line disconnected, in order to allow the new extension into Birmingham City Centre to be connected to the existing line. It is therefore the only Midland Metro stop so far to have been permanently closed. Trams terminated at St Paul's ^[35] until the first part of the extension was brought into service as far as Bull Street on 6 December 2015. ^[36]

Current through stop

St Chads stop, alongside Snow Hill the replacement for the former terminus.

Main article: St Chads tram stop

As part of the extension, a new through Snow Hill stop at a different location opened outside the station and further west, on the existing viaduct near the Livery Street entrance. ^[37] Funding for this was confirmed in the October 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. ^{[38] [39]} A new viaduct was built alongside the station as part of the Snowhill development to carry the tram lines into the city centre. ^[37] This allows platform 4 to be returned to main line use in the future. ^[40]

The new Snow Hill through stop was opened on 2 June 2016, two days after the full opening of the city-centre extension to New Street. However, the necessary works to allow passenger access to the stop from the street or adjacent railway station had not at the time been completed, meaning passengers could only access the stop by a walkway alongside the tracks from the city centre. ^[41] Stairs and a lift connecting the stop to the street below were completed in September 2017. ^[42]

In January 2017, the stop was renamed St Chads as the name Snow Hill was considered misleading for passengers using the mainline station due to the new stop's lack of direct interchange with the railway station, and the closer proximity of Bull Street stop. The stop is now advertised as an alternate interchange to the mainline station with Bull Street being the main interchange. ^{[43] [44] [45]}

In December 2018 it was announced that a new entrance would be constructed at Snow Hill station, by opening up an arch in the railway viaduct. This will allow direct interchange between St Chads tram stop and the railway station. The work is due to begin in Summer 2019.^{[ needs update ] [46]}

Accidents and incidents

In October 1854, a derailed engine fell into Great Charles Street, below the station. ^[47]

See also

v t e Railway lines in the West Midlands
to West Coast Main Line Wolverhampton– Shrewsbury line Bushbury Junction Wombourne branch line Wolverhampton St George's Wolverhampton Chillington Wharf Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway Steel Terminal Portobello Junction Midland Metro Coseley Chase Line Tipton Walsall Pleck and Darlaston Junctions South Staffordshire line Dudley Port Round Oak Steel Terminal Sandwell & Dudley Birmingham– Kidderminster line Bescot Stadium Lye Tame Bridge Parkway Cradley Heath Hamstead Old Hill Midland Metro Rowley Regis Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line Langley Green Smethwick Galton Bridge The Hawthorns Smethwick Rolfe Street Soho Junctions Perry Barr Junctions Harborne branch line Perry Barr Jewellery Quarter Witton Birmingham Snow Hill Five Ways Birmingham New Street University Birmingham Moor Street Selly Oak Birmingham to Lichfield line Bournville Aston Proof House Junction Duddeston Bordesley Lawley Street Freightliner terminal Lifford Junctions Birmingham Grand Junction Kings Norton Adderley Park Cross Country Route / Worcester line Small Heath Sutton Park line Tyseley Water Orton Cross Country Route / Birmingham–Peterborough line Birmingham– Stratford line Stechford Acocks Green Lea Hall Olton Marston Green Solihull Birmingham International Chiltern Main Line to West Coast Main Line
Closed stations not shown. Not all West Midlands Metro stops shown.

• Birmingham International railway station
• List of Midland Metro stations
• Transport in Birmingham

References

1. Conway, M. (2001). "An archaeological desk-based assessment of Oppenheim's Glassworks, Snow Hill, Birmingham City Centre". Birmingham Archaeology. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
2. "Birmingham Snow Hill Station - A brief overview". Warwickshire Railways. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
3. "Samuel Carter". Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
4. "Photograph of 1871 station". warwickshirerailways.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
5. Boynton 2001, pp. 10–12.
6. Boynton 2001, p. 20.
7. Boynton 2001, p. 21.
8. Boynton 2001.
9. Christiansen, Rex (1983). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 7 The West Midlands. David St John Thomas David and Charles. ISBN   0946537-00-3.
10. "Great Western railcars". The Great Western Archive. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
11. Boynton, John (1994). Shakespeare's Railways. Mid England Books. ISBN   0-9522248-1-X.
12. Boynton 2001, pp. 49–59.
13. "warwickshirerailways.com - gwrbsh1151". warwickshirerailways.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
14. Boynton 2001, p. 66.
15. "Birmingham Snow Hill Station 31st December 1974". 3 October 2004. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2017– via Flickr.
16. Doherty, Andy. "Gangsters – BBC Television Series". birminghamroundabout.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
17. "Railway Hotels". Railway Britain. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
18. "Birmingham Snow Hill 16th July 1977". 25 September 2006. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2017– via Flickr.
19. "Snow Hill Station 1852–1972 : 1987 - Present". Rail Around Birmingham. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
20. "Moor Street Station 1909 - Present". Rail Around Birmingham. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
21. "The History of Network SouthEast. Year by Year Jan 1993 - Dec 1993". Network SouthEast Railway Society. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
22. Boynton 2001, p. 70.
23. "Those Were the Days" (PDF). Stourbridge Line User Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
24. Samuel, A. (31 March 2011). "New rail station entrance boosts access to Birmingham". Rail.co. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
25. "Legal wrangle delays opening of new £17m Snow Hill station entrance". Birmingham Post. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
26. "A New Era for West Midlands Rail Travel" (PDF). West Midlands Rail Executive. October 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
27. "Midlands Rail Hub" (PDF). Midlands Connect. June 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
28. Prangle, Brian (24 December 2014). "Mysterious Objects: No 6 in an occasional series". Mappa Mercia. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
29. Prangle, Brian (24 December 2014). "Musings on tag historic=memorial". Mappa Mercia. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
30. "Timetable - 21 May 2023 - December 2023: London to High Wycombe, Bicester, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham". Chiltern Railways. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
31. "Train timetables and schedules | Birmingham Snow Hill". West Midlands Railway. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
32. "Train times | Snow Hill Lines - Worcester to Birmingham Snow Hill, Solihull and Stratford upon Avon | 21 May until 9 December 2023". West Midlands Railway. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
33. "Train times | Hereford to Birmingham | 21 May until 9 December 2023". West Midlands Railway. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
34. "Midland Metro : Tram Stops : Birmingham, Snow Hill". The Trams. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
35. "Midland Metro says farewell to Snow Hill terminus". British Trams Online. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
36. "Extensions open in Birmingham and Manchester". British Trams Online. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
37. "Tramway expansion for Birmingham Metro" (PDF). Railway Herald. No. 216. 22 March 2010. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
38. "Comprehensive spending review backs light rail". Railway Gazette International. London. 29 October 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
39. "Spending Review backs Midland Metro and New Street plan". BBC News. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
40. Plisner, Peter. "Metro takes centre stage". Railpro. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
41. "In Pictures: Snow Hill opens to the public". British Trams Online. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
42. "In Pictures: St Chad's lift and stairs opened". British Trams Online. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
43. Snow Hill tram stop to be renamed to St Chads from January 2017 Archived 31 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine National Express Midland Metro 23 December 2016
44. New year rings in name change for Midland Metro's Snow Hill stop Archived 31 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Transport for West Midlands 3 January 2017
45. Why Snow Hill Midland Metro stop is getting a new name Archived 31 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine Birmingham Mail 4 January 2017
46. "First look at brand new entrance to Snow Hill Station". Birmingham Mail. 19 December 2018. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
47. Thomas T. Harman (1885), Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham: A history and guide, arranged alphabetically: containing thousands of dates and references to matters of interest connected with the past and present history of the town – its public buildings, chapels, churches and clubs – its Friendly Societies and Benevolent Associations, philanthropic and philosophical institutions – its colleges and schools, parks, gardens, theatres, and places of amusement – its men of worth and noteworthy men, manufactures and trades, population, rates, statistics of progress, &c., &c. , Cornish Brothers, p. 266, Wikidata   Q66438509

Bibliography

• Boynton, John (2001). Main Line to Metro: Train and tram on the Great Western route: Birmingham Snow Hill – Wolverhampton. Kidderminster: Mid England Books. ISBN   978-0-9522248-9-1.
• Harrison, Derek (1978). Salute to Snow Hill: The Rise and Fall of Birmingham's Snow Hill Railway Station 1852–1977. Birmingham: Barbryn Press. ISBN   978-0-906160-00-8.
• Birmingham Snow Hill - A Great Station : Ian Baxter and Richard Harper (Published by the authors in conjunction with Kidderminster Railway Museum) : 2002 ISBN   0 9534775 1 7

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2007). Worcester to Birmingham. Middleton Press. figs. 112-120. ISBN   9781904474975. OCLC   263292710.

External links

• 1890 Ordnance Survey map of the station
• Article on this station from Rail Around Birmingham & the West Midlands
• Article on the Metro station from Rail Around Birmingham & the West Midlands
• A pictorial record of the station from 1871 to 1967 and the locomotives that used the station from Warwickshire's Railways
• The History of Birmingham Snow Hill Warwickshire Railways